Virtualized network

ABSTRACT

A virtualized network that provides real-to-virtual correspondence without technically designed artificial systems of any kind. The virtualized network includes a plurality of virtualized entities (VENTs), each VENT a program together with its corresponding real entity contained in the real world and exactly mimicking the action of its real entity counterpart. All hardware and software devices, as well as people can be virtualized in the virtualized network. Once virtualized, persons and devices (real world entities) are able to communicate immediately and directly.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

Priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) from U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/223,792, filed Aug. 8, 2000, the disclosure ofwhich is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to computer networks, and moreparticularly to a virtualized network, that provides connection andautomation via a real-to-virtual correspondence without the need foreither systems or the systems development process.

B. Description of the Related Art

Things and actions are twisted or contorted in conventional computersystem design processes. The more comprehensive the system the morepronounced such distortions. This condition occurs because there is nosimple correspondence between the way things act in the real world andthe way things act within the computer.

Stored program machines (or hardware platforms; i.e. ENIAC and itssuccessors to this day) are viewed as calculators, giant brains, andwhat eventually stuck, as computers. The lack of correspondence is adirect consequence of this limited view of the stored program machine,the “computer” view.

From the very beginning, most people recognized the stored programmachine as a powerful and general-purpose facility. It was acknowledgedto be quite different from anything that preceded it. Yet people viewedit as a processor, and from the very beginning, persisted in calling ita processor, a calculator, a giant brain, or a computer. In doing so,and without conscious thought, the stored program machine was given a“personality.” Lost was its general-purpose attribute. It was/is assumedto be a processor, a computing device.

A device is connected to its end use or application by an arrangement orsystem. For every different application a different system is required.A connection standard is required if a single device is to handle morethan one application. For a device (the stored program machine underthis assumption) to start up and work through a second system, for asecond application, requires special policies or procedures known asprotocols. When a single stored program machine is applied to more thanone use, independent of whether it is classed as system or userdirected, the resultant systems, standards, and protocols make itcomplicated to operate and maintain.

Systems, with the standards and protocols they beget, are the costlyburden that comes with the computer paradigm. Attempting to give life toa virtualized device and person entities becomes unnerving due to theapparent enormity of this task. Constructing the supporting systems, thesystems enabling program entities to behave in a virtual environment, isseen as an overwhelming problem.

These difficulties arise from the fact that people view the processor asa device and so must live with systems, standards, and protocols.

An underlying problem has frustrated systems development and maintenanceefforts for decades. Today the problem is subliminal and is taken asnormal, but it was more visible and a clear disappointment early in theera of programmable machines (hardware platforms). Even then, anunadorned programmable machine, “did exactly what you told (orinstructed) it to do”, accurately, faithfully, tirelessly—so itsenormous value was perceived immediately. From the beginning, it seems,people held two basic expectations concerning the machine.

First, because it “does exactly what you tell it to do”, people believedit would be universally applicable, capable of automating any real worldfunction or functions. This would become true as programmable machinesconnected, electrically, to more and different types of devices. And,over 50 years, this expectation has been realized, proved repeatedly. Sotoday's culture retains great confidence that programmable machines,properly outfitted, configured and instructed, can automate any realworld functions that can be described.

Second, again because it “does exactly what you tell (or instruct) it todo”, people believed they would be able to automate their own real worldfunctions, by offloading those functions to a programmable machine justas one offloads organizational functions to a human subordinate orpersonal functions to a personal aide. Roughly speaking, they expected,that you would instruct the machine as you instruct your human helperthereby giving the job, the execution of the real world functions, tothe machine.

However, this second expectation, that you could automate, offload ordelegate frequent or routine real world functions—offloading them to amachine as you previously offloaded them to a subordinate, has not beenrealized. Telling the computer what to do turned out to be quitecomplex.

Throughout history, as individuals became less insular and moredependent upon one another, societies defined ever more specializedfunctions, specialization being the key ingredient in the success ofsocieties. Organizations deliberately planned, grouped and parceled outfunctions. Indeed a prime purpose of organization was to separatefunction and responsibility into effective parcels. And the morespecialized and limited functions became, the more they needed tointeract, simply and directly, with other similarly specialized andlimited functions. Specialized functions and constant interactionscontinue as a hallmark of today's society.

Unfortunately, in order to apply computers, to automate real worldfunctions, an artificial system must be developed. Even perfectly properreal world functions must be reanalyzed, redefined and reorganized inorder to automate them. They must go through a systems developmentprocess. The newly developed system then embodies or contains there-represented functions. Since the original real functions werebroken-down, redefined, and logically repositioned, in the systemizationprocess, the interactions between the real and the reconstitutedfunctions differ as well.

Only after systemization is the system ready to be encoded. But,encoding is like translating to a human helper who speaks a foreignlanguage; it actually doesn't change the instructions; it just statesthose same instructions in a different language.

Nevertheless, the original user instructions, which would have beengiven directly to a real world subordinate, are twisted and distorted inthe conventional systems development process. The programmable machinereceives different instructions, about differently defined functions,with different logical interrelationships. To accomplish the very samejob the machine and the subordinate must work from different scripts.

In the conventional use of programmable machines, functions asrepresented in the virtual world, inside machine memory, bear littleresemblance to the original real world functions. So, the user, thesupposed beneficiary of automation, no longer knows how his functionsare being handled or how to explain the improvements he wishes to make.He looses control over his own automated functions (and usually is notheld accountable for them). To make even the slightest change he must goback through the technology chain, through IT, outside consultants,enterprise-wide package suppliers and outsource vendors, with itsmultiple chances for misunderstanding, to eventually effect his smallestchange.

Obviously, scrambled functions arise in the development of a singlesystem. But once encoded, that single system is placed into the virtualworld of machine memory amid a legacy of other, pre-existing systems. Itmust interact correctly with these systems. And in modern computers,user level functions depend upon many lower level system functions, eachone of which has gone through its own systemization process.

Consider that a user system request which goes to/through an executivefunction, to/through a communications function, to/through a querylanguage protocol function, to/through a security function (firewall),to/through a database function, to/through an I/O driver function justto read information, must fit correctly within a highly interdependentset of systems. The functions of any one system are interwoven andentwined with those of other systems. In general, the functions withinone system cannot be changed without affecting the others. Once a partof this legacy of systems, every change, whether at the user or systemslevel, becomes a command decision.

In the end, then, telling the computer what to do turned out to be quitecomplex: (1) because of the technical difficulties of reanalyzing,redefining, and logically repositioning functions in the systemsdevelopment and maintenance processes; (2) because of the loss of userfamiliarity with, and control over, the redefined, reconstituted andrepositioned functions; and (3) because of the functionalinterdependency, the interweaving and entwining of newly automatedfunctions with previously automated functions.

These problems have persisted and grown over 40 years. They will neithergo away nor get better with time. Traditional use ensures that suchproblems will continue to be a frustrating and ever more costly legacy.

Until now no one seriously considered that programs might function for,i.e., virtualized devices operate for and virtualized persons live for,their counterpart real entities. If such programs could be made toabsolutely mimic any action of their real, device or person counterpart,then the functions of those entities could be automated withoutsystemization. Thus there exists a need for a network that providesreal/virtual correspondence but without the very systems developmentefforts necessary in conventional computer systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention satisfies the needs of the related art with avirtualized network that provides real/virtual correspondence, withoutthe design and programming effort utilized in conventional systems. Thevirtualized network of the present invention places and assigns anentity counterpart, a program, inside the virtualized network for everyreal entity contained in the portion of the real world to be automated.The virtualized network also ensures the action of each virtualizedcounterpart exactly mirrors and mimics the action of its realcounterpart.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of theinvention and together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system of an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a client, server, or client/serverof the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2-1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional computer systemand the virtualized network of the present invention;

FIG. 3-1 is a schematic diagram showing how virtual space is allotted ina stored program machine used in accordance with present invention;

FIG. 3-4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a hardwareconfiguration of the virtualized network of the present invention;

FIG. 3-5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a VENT TABLE used with theexample of FIG. 3-4;

FIG. 3-6 and 3-8 is a schematic diagram showing the relation of aprogram counterpart to a physical counterpart of the virtualized networkof the present invention;

FIG. 3-7 is a schematic diagram showing how PAKTs (data and action) passbetween the virtual and physical worlds in the virtualized network ofthe present invention;

FIG. 3-9 is a chart of logic modules for the virtualized network of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 3-10 a, b, and c are charts illustrating how procedural logic isconveyed to, and executed by the virtualized network of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4-1 is a chart showing entity types and where they exist in thevirtualized network of the present invention;

FIG. 4-2 is a chart showing the entities most frequently virtualizedwith the virtualized network of the present invention;

FIG. 5-1 is a chart showing entity types and where they exist in thevirtualized network of the present invention;

FIG. 5-2 is a chart showing analogous design principles for allconstructed entities of the virtualized network of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 5-3 is a chart showing a purposeful community of the virtualizednetwork of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferredembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

The present invention is broadly drawn to a new approach that overcomesthe systems development and maintenance problems inextricably associatedwith computers. A new perspective on how to employ programmablemachines, this approach allows a person to automate his ownresponsibilities, in a direct and straightforward manner, without goingthrough a systems development process. Since the responsible personretains the first-hand knowledge of his own functions as automated, healso retains the ability to alter or improve those automated functions,again directly and straightforwardly, without going through asystemization process.

The capability to automate is separately and independently available toeveryone, so the present invention allows the functions of entireorganizations to be gradually automated as each employee, independently,automates his own functions.

An attractive solution might rely on today's programmable machines andutilize today's programming languages without any alteration. It mightconnect with and support existing technology. It might avoid the aboveburdens by avoiding the functional scrambling implicit in the systemsdevelopment process. Between a real world function and its virtualrepresentation within machine memory, there could exist an exact 1-to-1correspondence. This would fix the underlying problem, and enablefunctions, automated in the virtual world, to be instructed as and thenfunction for, their real world counterparts.

In such a situation, automating functions would be like telling yourforeign speaking subordinate, the programmable machine in this case,what you want done, knowing, “it will do exactly what you tell it todo”—accurately, faithfully, tirelessly—and without the costs,frustrations and distortions of systems development. In precisely thisway the present invention solves the underlying problem and recapturesthe early promise of programmable machines.

This invention is the logical extension of any programmable machine (astored program machine comprising a processor and memory combination).It provides a radically different memory environment for programs andenables the automation of real world functions without the systemsdevelopment steps previously required.

A software kernel is a program itself and is the logical extension oradaptation of a programmable machine. A kernel adapts a computer toprovide a particular systems environment, within machine memory, foroperating system, middleware, and application system programs.Technically designed and developed systems are the essentialcharacteristic of computers.

The different adaptation of this invention is a program also like thesoftware kernel. However, within machine memory, it provides anenvironment for virtualized entities rather than an environment forsystems. Whereas a computer kernel directs machine execution among thevarious technically designed systems contained therein, this differentadaptation directs machine execution among the various virtualizedentities contained therein.

The virtualized entities or programs of this machine are virtual (inmachine memory) representations of corresponding real world entities,usually persons or devices. One virtual entity or program represents onecounterpart real world person or device. Thus entities are the essentialcharacteristic of this new machine which has been called a “Real EntityAutomating and Linking Machine” or REALM™.

Instead of laboriously analyzing and designing technical systems toautomate real world functions one simply names/enters the real personsand devices to be automated. Then, at leisure, one may automate some orall functions handled by a person or device by encoding/instructing itsvirtualized program counterpart. Notice the instructions encoded for aperson are the same instructions one would give when passing thosefunctions to a human subordinate. Instructions must be translated(encoded) for a machine exactly as they must be translated for asubordinate who speaks a foreign language.

Three observations about the real world and four invention concepts,together, offer insight as to why and how one may instruct the functionsof an entity directly, without developing a system in order to automatethem.

First, real world functions are in their proper communal position whenembodied in, or contained by, the real entity that performs thefunctions. Second, real entities include non-physical, conceptualpersons (i.e., responsibilities) and non-physical, conceptual devices(i.e., algorithms) along with physical persons and physical devices.Third, every real entity is separate and distinct from every other(except when two are interacting) so their behaviors may be changedindependently.

One concept of the invention is that every program is identified with orcorresponds to a counterpart real entity like a person or a device.Another concept is that programs interchange data and action by“speaking and listening”, interacting as if they are “all in the sameroom”. A third concept of the invention is that whenever necessary aseries of entities is assembled, forming a channel, to interconnect anytwo “speaking and listening” entities. A final concept is that programsmay be instructed (procedure added or changed) so they act,automatically, for and on behalf of their counterparts without botheringthose real entities.

A. Glossary of Terms

The following is a list of terms important to understanding theVirtualized Network (VN®) of the present invention. Each of the terms isfollowed by its corresponding definition as used herein.

1. Space—a place where things exist.

2. Entity—an independent, self contained thing; a thing with a separateand distinct existence. Persons and devices are two of many types ofentities.

3. Environment—those particular conditions and circumstances thatsurround and support an entity in a space.

4. World—space together with an environment. For example, the virtualworld is the virtual space within the memory of the stored programmachine together with the unique environment created by the storedprogram machine's adaptation.

5. Counterpart—a thing that fits another perfectly; something thatcompletes, a complement. The VN concept holds that the virtualized selfis but a counterpart of an already existing entity—is a different aspectof the same one.

6. Virtualized entity (VENT)—an already existent entity that has,additionally, been placed or represented (i.e., “virtualized”) intovirtual space as a program. A VENT is any entity that has beenvirtualized, that has the program component. The program may or may notcontain a procedural portion. For practical purposes, the portion ofvirtual space set aside for a VENT appears unlimited. (A person's VENTperforms as a kind of subconscious “virtual-self’ because it acts onbehalf of the person without requiring the person's conscious thought.)Note: although VENT denotes the entire virtualized entity, the word isoften used to refer to the program counterpart only.

7. Interact—to act upon or influence another (entity). Interacting isthe mutual or reciprocal acting or influencing between entities. Thevirtual environment supports VENT interactions, so to mimic precisely,the interactions of their real world counterpart entities. Where actionsare “internal” to a single entity, as interactions between differentcounterparts of the same entity, the term intra-act is sometimes used.

8. Community—a collection of interacting entities. A dormant ornon-interacting entity is not considered part of a community.

9. Purposeful community™—a community created for a reason. A flowerclub, a corporation, a unit or department of government, or an entiregovernment, are examples. Such purposeful communities apportion specificresponsibilities to better accomplish their ends: i.e., a treasurer, amanager of manufacturing, or a president. It is supposed that thepurposeful community's purpose will be achieved if all responsibilitiesare properly discharged.

10. Network—the way entities are connected; the various pathways orchannels between entities. Notice that entities, themselves, are thepathways for interactions. They are not simply the endpoints of theinteraction or network, rather entities comprise the network itself,they are the conduits of the interaction.

11. Virtualized network—a network comprised of VENTs.

12. View (VIEW)—a context, perspective or “point of view”. The mentalcategory or topic assigned to clarify situations. Within VN, a VIEW isthat slice of virtual space, apparently unlimited in size, by whichcertain data/information may be kept separate or “in context”.

13. Orthogonality—the property of being independent one of another. Onecan be changed without affecting the other! In mathematics,orthogonality exists between two sets when there is no correspondencebetween their respective elements—when their correlation coefficient iszero. [In VN each VENT enjoys this property with respect to everyother—except when it interacts with that other!]

14. Subliminal—existing or functioning below the level of consciousawareness.

15. Premeditate™—to think through ahead of time; mental considerationand resolution beforehand. Premeditation establishes (or programs) lateraction and behavior (often called reaction since the person thoughtabout it ahead of time).

16. Context—the interrelated conditions in which something exists oroccurs. A setting.

17. Personality—the complex of characteristics that distinguish anindividual or group.

18. Autonomous—self-governing. Able to respond, react, and initiateindependently.

19. Relationship—the existing state of affairs between those havingrelations or dealings. In VN, the relationship between two entities isdefined by the history of the interactions between them.

20. Information/data—the simple discernment humans make from thingsseen, heard, tasted, smelled or felt. Information is not an entity! [Itis more like “understanding” than it is like “stuff although it isthought of as the latter because it is remembered or stored as patternsof stuff associated with a device.] An autonomous entity discerns valueonly when it places new information against its existing context. Thenew information always changes that context. Because so little is knownof other autonomous entities, probably a person is the only one thatwill be regularly virtualize.

21. Program—a contiguous portion of virtual space, a module. It containsprocedure and data or data only, and is enabled to actindependently—without the necessity of involving other programs. A VN®program is completely supported by its environment and does not requireor rely upon other programs to accomplish its purposes. The VirtualizedNetwork of the present invention may comprise any real world entity, orin the case of man-made entities either the simple component devices ora collection of devices united and functioning together. The collectionmay be looked upon as some device.

22. Systemization—the “systems development” activities, except for theinstruction encoding itself, required to automate real world functionson a computer. Systemization is the re-analysis of the real worldfunctions, their breakdown, redefinition, reconstitution, and logicalrepositioning inside machine memory in order to automate them. Thispresent invention permits functions to be automated in place, withoutchange, mimicking the known actions and reactions of those samefunctions in the real world.

23. Device (DEVC)—something devised or contrived, a procedure ortechnique. A piece of equipment or mechanism designed to serve a specialpurpose or perform a special function. In VN® a device is an artificialentity, not part of the natural world, but conceived and constructed bymen (ex. a modem, a gearshift, a system or a protocol—all artificial,contrived entities invented by men).

24. Function—the action for which a person or thing is specially fittedor used or for which a thing exists. (Function implies a definite endpurpose served or a particular kind of word the person or thing isintended to perform).

So the network of the present invention may comprise an Internet,intranet, extranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN),metropolitan area network (MAN), telephone network such as the publicswitched telephone network (PSTN), a similar network, or a combinationof some or all of the above.

In accordance with the invention and as shown in FIG. 1, the system 100of the present invention includes a network 102 that interconnectsclient entities 104, server entities 106 and client/server entities 108via communication links 110.

Network 102 may comprise an Internet, intranet, extranet, local areanetwork (LAN), wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN),telephone network such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN),or a similar network.

The Internet is a collection of interconnected (public and/or private)networks that are linked together by a set of standard protocols (suchas TCP/IP and HTTP) to form a global, distributed network. While thisterm is intended to refer to what is now commonly known as the Internet,it is also intended to encompass variations which may be made in thefuture, including changes and additions to existing protocols.

An intranet is a private network that is contained within an enterprise.It may consist of many interlinked local area networks and also useleased lines in the wide area network. Typically, an intranet includesconnections through one or more gateway computers to the outsideInternet. The main purpose of an intranet is to share companyinformation and computing resources among employees. An intranet canalso be used to facilitate working in groups and for teleconferences. Anintranet uses TCP/IP, HTTP, and other Internet protocols and in generallooks like a private version of the Internet. With tunneling, companiescan send private messages through the public network, using the publicnetwork with special encryption/decryption and other security safeguardsto connect one part of their intranet to another. Typically, largerenterprises allow users within their intranet to access the publicInternet through firewall servers that have the ability to screenmessages in both directions so that company security is maintained. Whenpart of an intranet is made accessible to customers, partners,suppliers, or others outside the company, that part becomes part of anextranet.

An extranet is a private network that uses the Internet protocols andthe public telecommunication system to securely share part of abusiness's information or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners,customers, or other businesses. An extranet can be viewed as part of acompany's intranet that is extended to users outside the company.

A LAN refers to a network where computing resources such as PCs,printers, minicomputers, and mainframes are linked by a commontransmission medium such as coaxial cable. A LAN usually refers to anetwork in a single building or campus. A WAN is a public or privatecomputer network serving a wide geographic area. A MAN is a datacommunication network covering the geographic area of a city, a MAN isgenerally larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN.

PSTN refers to the world's collection of interconnected voice-orientedpublic telephone networks, both commercial and government-owned. It isthe aggregation of circuit-switching telephone networks that has evolvedfrom the days of Alexander Graham Bell. Today, PSTN is almost entirelydigital in technology except for the final link from the central (local)telephone office to the user. In relation to the Internet, the PSTNactually furnishes much of the Internet's long-distance infrastructure.

Other entities may be virtualized into the network. A device-type VENTmay include software, such as programs, threads, processes, information,databases, or objects; hardware, such as a computer, a laptop, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a wired or wireless telephone, or asimilar wireless device; or a combination of both software and hardware.

Network connections may be wired, wireless, optical or a similarconnection mechanisms. “Wireless” refers to a communications,monitoring, or control system in which electromagnetic or acoustic wavescarry a signal through atmospheric space rather than along a wire. Inmost wireless systems, radio-frequency (RF) or infrared (IR) waves areused. Some monitoring devices, such as intrusion alarms, employ acousticwaves at frequencies above the range of human hearing.

As used herein the term “stored program machine” includes any machinesuch as a conventional computing machine (e.g., a computer) thatincludes a bus interconnecting a processor, and a main memory. As shownin FIG. 2, an entity, whether it be a client entity 104, a server entity106, or a client/server entity 108, includes a bus 200 interconnecting aprocessor 202, a read-only memory (ROM) 204, a main memory 206, astorage device 208, an input device 210, an output device 212, and acommunication interface 214. Bus 200 is a network topology or circuitarrangement in which all devices are attached to a line directly and allsignals pass through each of the devices. Each device has a uniqueidentity and can recognize those signals intended for it. Processor 202includes the logic circuitry that responds to and processes the basicinstructions that drive entity 104, 106, 108. ROM 204 includes a staticmemory that stores instructions and date used by processor 202.

Computer storage is the holding of data in an electromagnetic form foraccess by a computer processor. Main memory 206, which may be a RAM oranother type of dynamic memory, makes up the primary storage of entity104, 106, 108. Secondary storage of entity 104, 106, 108 may comprisestorage device 208, such as hard disks, tapes, diskettes, Zip drives,RAID systems, holographic storage, optical storage, CD-ROMs, magnetictapes, and other external devices and their corresponding drives.

Input device 210 may include a keyboard, mouse, pointing device, sounddevice (e.g. a microphone, etc.), biometric device, or any other deviceproviding input to entity 104, 106, 108. Output device 212 may comprisea display, a printer, a sound device (e.g. a speaker, etc.), or otherdevice providing output to entity 104, 106, 108. Communication interface214 may include network connections, modems, or other devices used forcommunications with other computer systems or devices.

As will be described below, an entity 104, 106, 108 consistent with thepresent invention may allow the functions of an entire organization tobe gradually automated as each employee, independently, automateshis/her own functions. Entity 104, 106, 108 performs this task inresponse to processor 202 executing sequences of instructions containedin a computer-readable medium, such as main memory 206. Acomputer-readable medium may include one or more memory devices and/orcarrier waves.

Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 206causes processor 202 to perform processes that will be described later.Alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used in place of or incombination with software instructions to implement processes consistentwith the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not limitedto any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

B. The Paradigm Shift From Computers to VN

FIG. 2-1 illustrates, on the left of the Fig., how the stored programmachine was originally viewed as a processing device (#3), how it wasadapted as a computer and applied via systems to help people (#4,5). Onthe right side, FIG. 2-1 illustrates how people are helped by beingvirtualize, by having program counterpart defined and placed into thespecially adapted machine environment of a virtualize network.

The entity within the stored program machine remains, just as it was in1946, “data together with a series of directions or instructions as towhat to do with the data”. Naturally we call this entity a programentity.

A mirror illustrates certain aspects of the entity correspondence of thepresent invention. Let the images, reflected by the mirror, correspondto the program entities within the stored program environment. Then, foreach physical entity in the view of the mirror there is exactly onereflected image, or a simple 1-to-1 match. In total, the virtualizednetwork reflects the entire desired portion of the real world into thestored program machine. In any event, for every real entity, there is acounterpart program entity (virtualized entity) defined into the storedprogram machine, which will then able to act for its counterpart.

Entity correspondence is straightforward. For each real entity, acounterpart is virtualized or defined. When a virtualized networkspreads beyond enterprise, beyond community with virtualized networknodes all over the globe, there will be only one program correspondingto the virtualized “me” entity. Absolute 1-for-1 matching is the idealcorrespondence between real and virtual world counterparts.

This means that the environment supports and allows real-worldequivalent actions. If a real entity has its virtualized self, aprogram, defined into the stored program machine, then for everyaction/interaction of the real entity, there is an exact equivalentaction/interaction available to the program.

Action correspondence necessitated an explicit understanding of entitytypes, action types, as well as behaviors, roles and relationships ofinteracting entities, the many nuances and subtleties of our ordinaryworld. When these are made explicit, the environment of the virtualworld supports identical/analogous behaviors, roles, and relationships.

If we go back to the mirror illustration we find it incomplete. A pushor pull action may be precisely reflected from the mirror, but a speakor listen action, potentially of great consequence, is not captured atall. Whereas mirrors depend solely on light, speech interaction dependsupon a different physical property.

A certain few real world actions need not be mimicked. These arefrivolous actions where the outcome or accomplishment is indeterminate.As noted earlier, a flirtatious action/interaction is an example. Butall purposeful actions resulting in work done or accomplishment aremimicked. Therefore a manager may write instructions for a newvirtualized helper, the same instructions she would write for a realperson helper. Because real and virtual perform in identical roles andrelationships, and because they have identical actions, they respondidentically to identical instructions.

The present invention works with all types of entities, includingdevices and the human person. When a device is virtualized, for thepurpose of automating its operation, the present invention accounts forall of its possible actions and reactions. Everything is defined aheadof time so that it performs automatically. However, one might virtualizea person in part. The virtual self might act/interact on behalf of thereal person in certain instances, whatever is felt to be appropriate oruseful, with other actions/(responses)/interactions being passed back tothe real person for handling. This is the way VN operates although itcan handle any action/interaction on behalf of the real person.

One senses the far-reaching impact of this, the potential benefit ofboth device and people type help, and the natural, straightforwardinstruction such helpers require.

Considering the stored program machine an environment helps to visualizethe present invention. Instead of emphasizing the logic and calculatingcharacteristics of the processor unit, the present invention emphasizesthe space characteristic of the memory unit. Within that space thepresent invention conceives an environment able to support entities,where those entities may operate and/or live.

The stored program machine has been viewed, conventionally, from theprocessor side, as a device. The present invention views it from thememory side, as empty space, a home for virtualized entities. The storedprogram machine, as an environment is not itself an entity. If it is anenvironment, no one can “press its buttons, steer its steering wheel,step on it for any purpose, nor talk to it.

In the present invention, there need be no interactions with theprocessor (device) from either the real or virtual worlds. Nothing“talks to” the computer. Because the present invention no longer talksto it or applies it as a device, no longer is the processor in themiddle of everything. There are no protocols to talk to it, no systemsto apply it, and no standards to be enforced on its behalf. The storedprogram machine, as an environment only, has none of these because ithas no interfaces. Of course, during execution it gives its entities“life”, but the entities have the action interfaces, the stored programmachine has none.

Since the present invention succeeds in neutering allprocessor-associated complications out of the picture, it may supportdesired real-virtual correspondence with people type helpers and do itwithout systems. The present invention virtualizes entities into thisenvironment and finds they properly mimic the actions of, and act for,their real world counterparts.

Two separate areas/aspects comprise and define the virtualized networkof the present invention: (1) a perception of the real world—anunderstanding and viewpoint of the real world that defines the realworld entity types, behaviors or actions, situations, roles andrelationships that must be faithfully mapped into the virtualized worldwithin the stored program machine; and (2) an adaptation to the storedprogram machine—a logical construct enabling necessary entity types,behaviors, actions, situations, roles, and relationships to befaithfully mapped from the virtualized world to the stored programmachine architecture.

Starting with the VN adaptation of the stored program machine, thepresent disclosure will describe its workings for virtual worldinteractions—the program entity-to-program entity interactions.Thereafter, the present disclosure will describe its workings forvirtual world-to-physical world interactions—intra-actions between theprogram entity and its physical counterpart.

Once the logical adaptation is explained, the present disclosure willturn to the VN perception of the virtual, physical, and conceptual (theworld of personality and ideas) worlds and how they fit together. Byillustration and analogy the present disclosure shows how the VN logicfits into the world, how it mirrors, mimics, and helps people.

C. An Adaptation to the Stored Program Machine

Beginning with the VN adaptation and by way of example, imagine it isAugust of the year 2001. Hank and Beth, friends in a small town, decideto join an investment club. The club requires that members bevirtualized into the virtualized network of the present invention. Bethmanages all Teller Operations for a local bank. The bank utilizes VN. Asa bank employee she has access to market information, and recently Hankhas called several times daily. He always asks, “what's up”—and means bythat question—what are the latest DOW and NASDAQ stock averages?

Beth already is virtualized into VN. This allows her to sponsor andactually enter Hank's virtualizing data into VN. Within hours, after shevirtualizes Hank, he discovers he can use a terminal to pose his “what'sup” question to Beth.

FIG. 3-1 looks inside VN to see how this works, remembering the virtualenvironment is created by the adaptation to the stored program machine.Memory space within the stored program machine is illustrated in FIG.3-1. The entry/virtualization of Hank causes his record to be enteredinto the VENT table, one of four tables used by VN. It contains apointer to his address in stored program machine memory (virtual space).All program information associated with Hank, now or in the future, willgo to this place in virtual space. The same is true for Beth except shewas earlier virtualized—so she already had her VENT table entry with itspointer to her virtual space. That is why she was able to sponsor Hankand enter his information.

1. Virtual to Virtual Interactions

When Hank's VENT is executing on his behalf, and it interacts with(speaks to) Beth's VENT, then VN logic, what was termed the storedprogram machine adaptation, effects the “speak” interaction since it isthe environment of the virtual world. It looks-up Beth in the VENTtable, finds her memory address in virtual space and moves the resultantspoken data to Beth's memory region. It starts her VENT executing with apointer to the data packet (PAKT), the second of four table types usedby VN. While the VENT table is global, one table for each node, thereare many PAKT tables per node. In her region the PAKT looks somethinglike:

-   -   BETH|What's up?|HANK        This is the very simple and very straightforward manner in which        any virtualized entity “speaks” to any other. “Speak-listen” is        the way virtualized entities interact.

Because of Hank's earlier behavior, Beth had pre-meditated thisparticular occurrence. When her virtualized self or VENT startsexecuting it knows what to do. It sees “What's up”, and sees Hank wasthe speaker. Its action at this point is premeditated. There is noreason to reference the conscious Beth, so it acts for her, below herconscious level, speaking back to Hank as follows:

HANK|Dow=10354;NASDAQ=2371|BETH

VN already knows Hank's region in virtual space as it was contained inthe PAKT from him. So, without even looking him up in the VENT table, VNmoves this data to Hank's memory region. It causes his VENT to beginexecution at the right place, and as before, provides a pointer to thisanswering PAKT.

Summarizing virtual to virtual interaction: A virtualized entity (VENT)executes as programs always have executed. During execution a VENT takesaction, with regard to anything outside itself, by “speaking” as we havejust seen. VN accepts the data contents from the speaking VENT. Italways knows the “speaker”, and knows the “listener” (unless it is thefirst “speak” of a conversation when it must look-up the listener'slocation in a VENT table). VN moves the data to the “listener's” region,and, when it has no higher priority, passes execution to that listenerVENT. In this fashion, VN passes data and action from one VENT, whetherperson or device, to another VENT, either person or device. Every storedprogram machine has an identical adaptation and everyone operates asabove, repetitively, and at all times, for all interactions by all VENTswithin its virtual space.

When a VENT analyzes, i.e., as it identifies a situation and prepares toact, it does so quite similarly to the programs that have been used overthe years. The only change here is that VN uses/supports decision tabletype “thinking”, first identifying a situation as it was pre-meditated,then taking action(s) according to the premeditated order of thoseactions. This is much closer to the way people actually think. It isjust the way one would write instructions for another person, tellingthat person how to identify and act in a particular situation—what tolook for to identify the situation, and then upon finding it, telling itprecisely what to do.

However, when the analysis is complete, and the VENT acts, when it stepsout of itself to interact with other entities, then its actions exactlymimic its real world counterpart. A VENT never speaks to a “system,” toa “processor/computer,” to “information or data,” or any artificialsystems or technical entity. A VENT always speaks to another VENT. Ofcourse, each matches 1-for-1 with its counterpart.

For example, when Beth virtualized Hank by providing certain data,she/her VENT never spoke to the stored program machine (processor orcomputer in today's terminology). Recall a stored program machine, incombination with the adaptation, is not an entity; it is an environment.No, her VENT spoke to another VENT. Specifically, it spoke to theperson, the VENT of the person, who manages her bank's own storedprogram machine. That person's VENT most likely included premeditatedhandling for the virtualization of a new entity because that is a normalresponsibility of the VN machine manager. The machine manager'svirtualized self already “knew” that bank policy permittedvirtualization of a non-employee, on the bank's stored program machine,if no other machine was specified. As Hank's virtualization was normalthe machine manager's VENT acted without his conscious involvement. Thatpart of the stored program machine manager's responsibility wasautomated.

Returning to our example of August 2001, imagine that just as Beth'sVENT answers Hank's question, she receives a phone call. It seems anacquaintance is trying to withdraw $30 from one of the bank's automatedtellers (ATMs), ATM#4 to be exact. The acquaintance is aware of Beth'sresponsibility for Teller Operations, both human tellers and ATMs.

She inquires via her cell phone, “Beth your machine is hung-up with mycash card. Can you help me?” “I'm glad you called. I will see what I cando,” Beth replies. Working from her terminal, she notes the $30 reservedfor disbursement, but not yet disbursed. Since the ATMs are herresponsibility she, her VENT actually, may “speak” directly to them. Aswe have seen all VENT-VENT interactions move PAKTs something like:

Beth to ATM4 ATM4|bit string device order|BETH

ATM4 back to Beth BETH|bit string acknowledgment|ATM4

In the ensuing conversation Beth's bit strings “speak” as follows:

Reset to ready status

Move to the 20's dispense tray

Dispense 1

Move to the 10's dispense tray

Dispense 1

Disburse bills to customer

Return cash card

Reset to idle for next customer

Interspersed with the above are ATM4's “speaks” or acknowledgments:

Ready ok

20's ok

Dispense 1 ok

10's ok

Dispense 1 ok

Disburse ok

Return card ok

Idle/waiting ok

Beth hears the acquaintance say, “hooray, I have my card and the $30,thanks for getting the device to function again.”

Because programs have been speaking to devices for years there isnothing surprising in this example of VENT-VENT interaction. Yet it doesshow that the speak-listen type interaction of the virtual world mayresult in the physical movement of items (dollar bills) in the realworld. The same kind of speak-listen can cause a hydraulic arm to pushan auto body into welding position, can cause a brick baking oven toraise temperature, and the like. In fact, the virtual world speak listentype interaction suffices to mimic all possible real world interactionsincluding push-pull, burn, etc., as well as real world speak-listen.

So a single type of virtual world interaction, i.e., speak-listen, whichappeared to be a shortcoming, seems perfectly sufficient now. Actually,it is a simplifying property of VN, simplifying all actions that utilizevirtual world pathways.

2. No Artificial Systems, Standards, or Protocols

In order to affect its single type of speak-listen interaction, VNutilizes the familiar mode of bit strings and binary logic and the olderfamiliar medium of electrical transmission. Because they always sharethis same mode and medium when interacting, VENTS have an advantage overthe way their physical-world counterparts interact.

Not as an example, but simply to illustrate mode and medium problems,assume person A and person B share and understand the same language,English for instance. Also assume that over the years person A becameblind and person B became deaf. Person A says “hello” to person B butperson B is deaf so the interchange fails. Person A realizes he willhave to use a different mode of communication, say signal lights or signlanguage, to communicate, and then they will do fine. Person A choosesto sign “hello” without realizing it is a dark night so the interchangefails once more, though the signing mode would have been fine duringdaylight. They need to find a transmission medium, consistent with anotherwise acceptable mode, in order to communicate.

If person A and person B enjoy the full and normal use of all theirsenses, share the same language, interact in the correct mode (talking),through a consistent medium (air which conducts sound waves), but are indistant rooms, their interaction fails since person A's voice does notreach person B.

Mode, medium and distance, these are the problems that come withincreasing use of “communications systems.” Each is a separation betweena person and the person (or device) with whom that person wishes tocommunicate. Communication systems, standards, and protocols cluttermodern life. In contrast, VENTs of the present invention are freed fromsuch clutter since they interact at the bit string, binary logic, andelectrical level. And with VN they all appear to be in the same room.

So without preparatory protocols to arrange mode, medium, or location,VENTs directly and instantly interact. This powerful property of VENTSis termed immediate adjacency. Basically, VENTS are very close in allrespects, except for natural, or real world, language and behavioraldifferences.

Every VENT, on the stored program machine at Beth's bank, speaksdirectly to any other VENT on that machine, and so, is immediatelyadjacent to every other one. But immediate adjacency is not limited to asingle stored program machine. Rather, any VENT, whether person ordevice, can speak directly to any other, whether person or device,located on any stored program machine anywhere in the world. This occurswithout adding a single line of code to the VN core logic or operation,earlier discussed, and without using one line of “communications” systemor software. There exists no “communications” systems or software in VN.This feature arises from VN's powerful channeling capabilities,discussed below.

Medium and distance problems are non-existent if action is taken throughthe virtual world. The language differences, the differences in cultureand convention, these mode differences between real world entities(e.g., people) remain differences to be overcome. However, a virtualizednetwork creates no new and artificial differences in mode; it introducesno new systems or protocols between interacting entities. So if Hank hadbeen virtualized on the most obscure stored program machine (perhaps anIntel 386 PC), his VENT would have spoken to Beth, in the identicalmanner, without specifying a URL, area code, or any other devices orsteps. Without protocols, and completely oblivious to where in the worldshe was, his VENT would speak:

BETH|What's up?|HANK

Such simplicity is not just a benefit to the “user” who works from aterminal or PC. It is even more important to the “user,” who wishes toautomate parts of his/her activity, and to the programmer, who mustencode that premeditated activity.

Today's computer programmer must consider the modules, operatingsystems, communications systems, database systems, the various “shells”and “levels of protocol,” which must be transited in order for hisprogram module to access data or interact with another module. (Theseare all redesigns of the real-world situation, are artificial, technicalconstructs.) The experience, knowledge, and time needed to ensure allthese are correct, for current releases and configurations, often dwarfsthe time for him to encode and test his own module. Of course, he mustundergo continual update and training, and must remain alert to thoseother system improvements (read changes) which affect the operation ofhis module. This is why he seems to spend inordinate amounts of time, onhis in-house computer technical efforts, and precious little time,talking to people to learn about the parts of their responsibility thatneed automating.

In contrast, with VN the VENT programmer who encodes premeditatedinstructions has no such problems. He changes no functions of thereal-world since they are directly represented in the virtualenvironment. He encodes exactly what he sees, with no need to restate,rearrange, or twist instructions in order to make them “work within thesystem” as VENTS do not work within any technical system, but workexactly as you or a helper would work. Obviously then, he is available amuch higher percentage of time to understand and encode the decisiontables that automate people's responsibility.

Before leaving virtual-to-virtual interactions we should notice theanalogy between virtual-to-virtual speak and its physical worldequivalent to help understand how the virtual world mimics the physicalone.

3. Speak—Listen Analogy

The physical environment provides the needed connection each time onespeaks to another. A person tightens their vocal cords so as to transmitdata in the form of sound waves. The physical environment accepts thosevibrations causing sound waves to spread out until they shake theeardrums of a listener and the sound data enters into his/her brain orthinking space. The listener may act on what he/she heard.

Likewise, the virtual environment provides a VENT the needed connectioneach time it speaks to another VENT. It “speaks” (analogous totightening of vocal cords) so as to transmit data in the form of a bitstring. The virtual environment accepts those bits causing theirmovement and entry into the thinking space of the listener VENT. Thelistener VENT may act on what it “heard” when later passed execution byVN.

A person interfaces with the real world environment when they speak, andtheir VENT interfaces with the virtual environment when it speaks ontheir behalf. Notice that neither actually speaks to its respectiveenvironment but to another entity within that environment. So interfaceis not quite the correct word. More correctly, a real or virtual entityuses its environment, but it interfaces with the other interactingentity.

There are no application systems and no operating systems used with thepresent invention. In fact, just two entities interact in the specialvirtual environment. As VN machines ship from the plant, and allprograms will be VENTs, each one the counterpart of an existing entity,and no artificially created programs or systems of any type will berequired.

Finally, the virtual environment remains constant despite changes instored program machine type, size, configuration, number of VENTscontained therein, or the number of VN machines. Consequently a VENT'suse of the environment also remains constant across all hardwareplatforms, configurations and the like.

4. Virtual to Physical Interactions

Looking at a more complex interaction, more complex only because itturns into, or becomes a series of the familiar speak (listen) typeinteractions, suppose the interaction involves a physical person ordevice, and must, in part, go through physical space.

As an example, consider the situation if Beth did not premeditate herbehavior for Hank's “what's up” question. Then her virtualized selfwould not act, but would forward Hank's question to her physical(conscious) self for action.

Lacking a premeditated handling in this situation, the fully consciousBeth must act on Hank's question herself. Her program counterpartaccomplishes this using the identical “speak” action used to convey datato any other VENT and it would be totally unaware and unconcerned that aseries of speaks are needed to effect her speak. The question may not beforwarded to the physical world unless her virtualized self knows whereshe is. Her VENT automatically receives her physical location, actuallythe name of her terminal, when she “signs on” thus allowing her VENT tospeak to her and vice versa. She is allowed to sign on at any terminal,on any stored program machine, in the network of networks. VN enablesher virtual self to interact or speak to her physical counterpart andvice versa. When she signs off VN again loses track of her location inphysical space.

These more complex interactions arise only where data and action must betransferred between an entity's virtual and physical counterparts, thatis, between two aspects of the same entity.

This section illustrates how VN implements a virtual to physicalconnection, what everyone heretofore called a communications network. Ina sense, this might be called a first “application” of VN, since itutilizes the basic virtual to virtual speak (listen) to transform thevirtual world into a communications network. The illustration involvesconventional programming and the consequent advantages are statedconventionally in already familiar terms.

In order to move a PAKT, between the physical and virtual counterpartsof an entity, the various “communications devices” comprising the pathor channel must be traversed. But no complexity is added to the basic VNadaptation logic. All the data and action passing is precisely asdescribed above, the same, simple speak-listen utilized repeatedly.

It is completely transparent to the interacting counterparts. VNarranges to have each of the intervening communications entities, alonga channel, speak in the virtual environment to its adjoining entity,moving the PAKT, or data and action, through the communications channel,from virtual to physical or vice versa.

Let us return to the Beth/Hank example to illustrate how VN works.Assume Hank was stunned with Beth's instantaneous response to his“what's up” question. He keys, and then his VENT speaks for him. Theresultant PAKT looks like:

BETH|answered so fast!How??|HANK

Exactly as before, the PAKT is moved to Beth's region and her VENTreceives execution. This non-routine situation was neither premeditatednor preprogrammed. Since her VENT's decision tables show no handling forthis situation, it must be sent to her physical (conscious) self forhandling and action.

If Beth is signed-on, her VENT will notify her immediately, and if notsigned-on it will attempt to notify her of PAKTs awaiting a consciousreview at 9 am and at 3 pm, but only if she specified a defaultlocation. Beth's record in the VENT TABLE shows that she has signed-off.However, she left a default notification location, namely a printer,PRNT B, within view of her as well as others.

FIG. 3-4 depicts the configuration of the bank's stored program machine,and FIG. 3-5 shows how the attached devices are arranged in the VENTTABLE. FIG. 3-6 summarizes what will happen and shows the relationshipbetween the program (virtual aspect) and the hardware (physical aspect)of each channel entity.

In summary, Hank's question will be forwarded successively to each ofthe adjoining devices that connect physical Beth back to the storedprogram machine via its input/output (OTIN PRIM) facility. As each VENTreceives a spoken PAKT, it puts its counterpart physical self intoproper status to pass through PAKTs, and then forwards the PAKT(s)passed to it. So Beth's non-routine PAKT gets to physical Beth andphysical Beth speaks back her response PAKT for her VENT's action.

At 3 pm, if there is no security problem, her VENT probably speaks as:

PRNT B|BETH|answered so fast!How??|HANK|BETH

Enclosing one PAKT within another is like enclosing one postal envelopewithin another; it forwards the enclosed item to another location.Notice that PRNT B is “close” to Beth (or someone who may alert her).Normally, in the physical world, it is only close or adjoining entitiesthat may speak and listen. VN logic moves data and action to PRNT B'sregion and that VENT is passed execution.

Assuming this is a new printing job for PRNT B, before it “speaks” theprint line to its physical counterpart it must “speak” a protocol thatonly it knows about itself. The protocol will cause the printer to skipto a new page to begin this new printing job. The PRNT B VENT (theprogram) looks in its VENT record to determine the location of itsphysical counterpart, which is CTLR 2 as shown in FIG. 3-4. So ittemporarily holds the PAKT to be printed for Beth, and instead, speaksits own protocol:

CTLR 2|bits for new page skip|PRNT B

Every physical entity has “a location or a space” in the physical worldwhere it can speak and listen, called SPLN space. Some devices arecalled terminals because they provide interfaces for interactions withhumans via touch, sight, sound, etc. These are potential SPLN spaces forhumans because that is where humans can “speak and listen.” But the bitstrings that will condition printer B must be spoken to CTLR 2 (PRNT B's“speak and listen space” (SPLN space)) is CTLR 2.

After PRNT B VENT receives an acknowledgment from PRNT B hardware,indicating it is positioned at the top of a clean page, it will speakBeth's PAKT “passing it through” the printer so that it may be seen/readby a person.

VN logic looks up CTLR 2 in the VENT TABLE, moves the PAKT to CTLR 2'sregion, then passes execution to CTLR 2 VENT. CTLR 2 VENT may need tosend protocols to prepare its physical counterpart, the hardwarecontroller, to properly pass through PAKTs beginning with “skip to newpage.” Possibly it sends a “reset” to prepare the controller, to accepta further PAKT, which, in its turn, will select the proper outgoing line(notice from FIG. 3-4 other CTLR 2 outgoing lines may connect to anotherprinter, PRNT A, and to a drill, DRIL7).

Thus CTLR 2 VENT speaks into its physical counterpart's SPLN space:

OTIN|bits to reset controller|CTLR 2

Following receipt of the reset acknowledgment string from the controllerhardware, CTLR 2 VENT looks up PRNT B in its line table, finds theoutgoing string to select the correct line to printer B. Once thehardware has been properly conditioned to function as a channel entity,the VENT will speak (or pass through) PAKTs that require thevirtual-physical pathway. PRNT B's skip PAKT and BETH's forwarded“answered so fast” PAKT require that pathway.

OTIN performs the same type of exercise to select the correct port,essentially the line to CTLR 2. Thus far each speak interaction hassimply moved a PAKT and action to another VENT in virtual space. Eachsuccessive VENT is the counterpart of a physical device ever “nearer” tothe stored program machine memory or virtual space, yet so far, not asingle bit has moved from the virtual world to a hardware device.

OTIN's virtualized portion is a machine-specific primitive program. OTINis hardware smart, and is one of four primitives included with theuniversal VN logic, yet specific to the hardware platform beingutilized. It knows the bus or port structure, the output/inputinstruction(s), and the interrupt/disable instruction(s) of the machine.Thus it executes “out” and “in” byte strings transferring bytes or bitsbetween virtualized entities, in memory, and their physical entitycounterparts. OTIN's physical portion, or counterpart, is that hardwaredevice which implements the output and input instructions.

For our example, FIG. 3-7 illustrates the byte strings that transit outand in across the virtual/physical boundary as each virtualized selfprepares or conditions its physical self, and the end-to-endcommunication is passed. A VENT interacts with its physical counterpartand vice versa, but never interacts with the physical counterpart of anyother entity. Such virtual to physical interaction is termed, morecorrectly, an intra-action because the transfer of data and actionoccurs between two counterparts of the same entity. Nobody and nothinggets inside an entity or gets between its virtual and physical aspects,thus preserving the orthogonality of entities. An entity needs worryonly about its own behavior, how another behaves or accomplishes its jobis the problem of that other entity. Programming and automation areenormously simplified.

VN identifies a series of adjoining entities using the VENT table.Rather than a system, adjoining entities interact to effect thevirtual-physical connection. The virtual and physical counterparts ofthe same entity intra-acting, so that Beth in virtual space passed dataand action to Beth in physical space.

VN is completely open-ended. Channel devices may be configured any waythe hardware permits, virtualizing the devices with no programmingneeded. Processors embedded in communications devices, or in robots, arenever needed. Utilizing the VENT TABLE, VN assembles, operates, andsubsequently disassembles the most tortuous and complex of channels,enabling the interaction of virtual and physical counterparts whereverthese may be. Because the adaptation, the VN environment, effects everymovement, of data and action, it always stays in perfect context withevery entity.

5. Connection Consequences

VN provides numerous channel capabilities. The first capability is theautomatic assembly/disassembly of, even tortuous, channels. Beth'svirtual self was able to forward data and action to her human self. Itdid this by speaking (and listening) to a SPLN space, which in turn, wasan entity “near” Beth, specifically PRNT B. Unknown to Beth's VENT, VNwas able to find, acquire, and assemble a series of physically adjoiningentities, i.e., a channel, from the VENT to the human person. Thischannel remains in existence, that is, the entities remain reserved andassembled until the forwarding is complete, at which time the channel isautomatically disassembled. This capability allows VN to connect to anyphysical person or any physical device, subject only to the fact that itis virtualized on some VN machine somewhere in the network of networks.

Returning to FIG. 3-4, observe that Pete is “near” or sits at a terminalcalled TERM T, which itself is connected to an IBM System 390. TERM T iscontrolled by an old IBM time-sharing system called CICS. One may accessthe System 390 through one of the modems called FONEs by simply dialingthe telephone number for one when it is available/free.

VN must find a way through the mess of intervening entities, it mustbuild a channel in order to contact Pete. Channel building occurs eitheron demand as in the Beth illustration or when a NODEMNGR asks persons tosign on the various people-type terminals (TERMs) for which he isresponsible. The latter is called polling: a message is sent to eachTERM essentially saying, “please sign on” and the TERM is conditioned toaccept keyed information. Every VN node has a person assigned to act asa NODEMNGR (node manger) and it is his/her responsibility to pollterminals, validate sign-on, and update VN tables to reflect theavailability of people so that the needed virtual to physicalinteractions can take place.

Referring to FIG. 3-5, all the devices, previously virtualized on thebank's VN machine, are shown. Assuming a channel is built at pollingtime, the bank's VN machine manager, actually his premeditated,virtualized self sends out a message to all the people-type terminalsfor which he is responsible. He asks anyone nearby to sign-on. One suchPAKT goes to TERM T:

TERM T|Welcome to VN. Please sign-on|NODE MNGR

VN moves data and action to TERM T, which interacts with its SPLN space,CICS. FIG. 3-8 shows the VENTs and their corresponding physicalcounterparts, the series of adjoining entities that comprise the neededchannel. Some of the resulting strings that cross the virtual-physicalboundary will include strings to condition MODM 2 to dial, and then passthrough the telephone number for FONE 5, later the S390 sign-on string,or strings if it requires an interaction, followed by the stringsnecessary to enter CICS, and then whatever CICS command strings arenecessary to place a message on TERM T. The VENT, in all cases, knowsthe strings that will properly “condition” its counterpart and allowdata to “pass through”. Thus VN enables channels through differentdevices whether these are radio antennae, conventional computers, etc.For VN to assemble and disassemble the longest, most torturous ofchannels it is only necessary that each VENT contain the correctconditioning and acknowledgment strings.

After Pete signs on, NODEMNGR updates the tables. Pete's SPLN space isnow updated to show TERM T, as shown in FIG. 3-5. NODEMNGR is thusreplaced in the VENT STAK of FIG. 3-9. Subsequently, until Pete signsoff TERM T, this virtual-physical channel is maintained, or can beinstantly reconstituted, by VN.

The second capability is the ability to provide fully floating channels.If there are alternative paths or channels to an entity, VN finds andutilizes such routes, even finding them to speed its own memoryswapping, whenever the necessary devices are available and virtualized.

When FONE 5 wishes to condition its counterpart it speaks into its SPLNspace, the adjoining device nearer to the VN machine.

-   -   MODM|string that is FONE 5's telephone number|FONE 5

VN looks at the table of FIG. 3-5 to find MODM, not a specific modem,but anything that meets the MODM criteria. MODM was the word the Managerof the bank's machine used for a connected device that speaks into, andlistens in, common carrier or “telephone” space. So as VN does itsrepetitious VENT TABLE look-up to find the virtual address of MODM, itcompares equal MODMs, and uses the first one marked free. Since MODM1was busy, it was bypassed and MODM2 was acquired and marked busy,finding and using an alternative path.

The third capability of VN is that is provides loose and tight channels.VN will retain or drop channel connections depending upon the time valueand use possibilities of each channel device. Expensive channel devicesare not monopolized by one high-priority task even when an entity isinvolved in real time/hi-priority actions. VN will accommodate suchpriorities ensuring that time critical actions are taken, while allowingeach/any of the necessary resources (i.e., entities) to be used by othertasks whenever time permits. This is true sophistication, it is achievedwithout any change to VN's recursive central logic. (If a device isdeemed expensive and fast, for instance, it will acknowledge fact aftereach “pass through” use with the TELL form of SPLN. This means it is nolonger listening and is free for other uses where the TALK form of SPLNmeans it is still listening, waiting and in use by the same conversationand channel).

The fourth capability VN provides is very fast channels. As PAKTs movethrough an assembled channel each of the adjoining devices, momentarilybut repeatedly, becomes active. This is the general case even thoughcertain simple devices need no attention once they have been placed inoperation. As physical channel entities are managed out and in along thepathway, VN machine execution moves up and down through the assembledstack of VENTs as shown in FIG. 3-6 or 3-8. Indeed these VENTs performlike a pushdown stack, only pushed down at assembly time, and onlypopped off at disassembly time. The STAK TABLE is one of the four typesof tables used by VN.

In between times, during operation, action and data are passed betweenchannel entities very, very rapidly, moving from one to the next like afixed list of branches or jumps. Because channel entities are in globalmemory each has access to the data to be moved. So, only the action orexecution moves. Data is not moved in a VN channel.

This feature extends to the OTIN PRIM and its hardware counterpart. Alloutput and input is accomplished on a gather read/scatter write basis.Data going virtual-to-physical and vice versa is not moved. VN has andneeds no I/O buffers. It avoids the lost move time, as well as thememory management problems such buffers cause.

Data originating from all the “speaks” of Beth and the interveningVENTs, and data returned from hardware counterparts to the “listens” ofBeth and the intervening VENTs goes directly out from the speak locationand comes directly in to the listen location, with no intermediatemoving.

While data does not move, execution (action) flicks up and down the VENTSTAK by way of a fixed set of jumps. Together these two characteristicsenable a VN channel to operate at blinding speed.

The fifth capability provided by VN is packaged protocols. Entitiesinteract without using intervening protocols like telephone numbers andthe like. Actually protocols must be issued to condition the physicalentities comprising the channel. But, within VN, they are packaged with,and issued by, that VENT which is the virtualized counterpart of thephysical device.

For example, FONE 5 shown in FIG. 3-4 is the VENT counterpart of themodem attached to the IBM S390. When the manager of the bank's VNmachine decided to add FONE 5 to the machine's configuration, the sameway any device is added, he virtualized it. Following naming conventionsestablished for this machine, he entered its name, FONE 5. Obviously hisvirtualized self is premeditated in this regard so it prompted and aidedhis entry. Then he entered the manufacture's tray of protocols, againprompted. Essentially the manufacturer's tray includes speak bytestrings, to condition the physical modem, and corresponding listenstrings, or acknowledgments, expected back from modem hardware.Typically the conditioning string, to acquire the modem, is itstelephone number. Corresponding to it would be one of two expectedacknowledgments, a string indicating the modem is busy and could not beacquired or a string indicating the modem is acquired and part of thechannel. In any case the telephone number is packaged with the telephoneand no one else need know it. The only party that ever needs to know, oreven look at, protocols is the device manufacturer. They should beincluded as part of his packaged product.

Almost all devices, automated teller machines, modems, automated drillpresses, etc. are simple to operate, requiring only the speak listenstrings specified during device design.

The sixth capability VN provides is remote device operation without theneed for embedded processors. The examples have shown the software,necessary to condition and drive a physical device, as a resident VENTin a VN machine. CTLR 2, PRNT B, and ATM4 were each controlled by theirvirtualized counterpart. However, in the conventional computer worldembedded processors have been touted as the answer. Interactive TVs,home security systems, automatic drill presses, automated tellermachines, even modems among others, were to benefit from these miniaturemarvels.

Embedding a processor protects the device from snarled communicationsystems. On the one hand the software can deal with the protocols of thevarious communications systems and shells. On the other hand it canprecisely condition and control itself. In between, it can translate andnegotiate the differences. If a manufacturer provides new software andembedding methodology, a future change in communication systems will notforce discard of a now-obsolete device. Costs and complicationsresulting from the processor, special software, unique embeddingmethods, etc. are downsides.

In contrast, VN permits a natural and general handling for any entitiesby enabling the virtualized counterpart direct and complete powers ofcontrol. Because devices are such simple entities, the manufacturer'stray of protocols is all VN requires. It recognizes VENTs lackingprocedure, and instead, passes execution to a VENT-like module, VNUL ofFIG. 3-9. VNUL drives the physical device using the manufacturer'sconstants.

Suppose ATM4's VENT receives an unexpected, incorrect acknowledgment.Usually this means the device is broken so the VENT (or VNUL performingin place of it) may try some resetting and restoring sequences exactlyas an embedded processor might do. If this fails, then a VENT may speakdirectly to any other VENT. Perhaps the manufacturer included in histray the name of the individual (Mary) most expert in this particularproblem and our device VENT will speak:

MARY|bad acknowledge—10's dispense|ATM4

Hopefully Mary will affect a cure for the 10's dispenser without leavingher Florida beach chair. There are other avenues as well because VNnetworks all entities into a community. Conventional, separate,provincial, and little systems and subsystems never connect like this sotheir value to organizations is limited.

For reasons like this, VN's remote device operation may trump embeddedprocessors. However, VN will just as easily talk to embedded processordevices. But VN's entire residency requirement, preferably less than 100K of memory, is probably less than the operating system residency of theembedded processor.

VN machines are all peer nodes. A communicating entity within a VNmachine (node) utilizes channels, unwittingly of course. The node actsat once as a router and/or a switch, acting to handle packet by packetand/or real time, and simplex and/or duplex, communications. Extensiveand flexible configurations require only that needed entities bevirtualized.

VN machines are not especially constructed but identical virtualenvironments. Configurations are not fixed, they are not dependent uponmanufacturer supported hardware or software. Rather configurationsevolve as entities are virtualized. Only apparent differences may beperceived due to the type/number of entities virtualized or thetype/number of interactions moving within, or through, a particularmachine. All VN machines are the same, that is, identical peer nodes.

The natural consequence of a design, pursued for far different reasons,leaves VN as a formidable communications machine. All these capabilitiesare found simultaneously in one place, in VN.

6. Summary of Adaptation

In VN, a stored program machine is adapted to provide a virtualenvironment for programs. The adaptation consists of a compact, ruggedlysimple, highly recursive logic which, early on, will be consideredintegral with machine hardware. Within this environment, any program mayinteract with any other program, located in a given machine or in anyother similarly adapted machine. Such interactions are analogous to a“speak-listen”, they pass both data and action. All interactions aredirect and immediate, and protocols are never needed.

Programs are viewed in a particular light, namely, that each is acounterpart, a different aspect, of an entity such as a device or aperson. A connection is made between a program and its materialcounterpart by means of a channel, the channel consisting of otherprograms together with their material counterparts.

Using a VN assembled channel any physical device or person may interactwith any other physical device or person, located anywhere, doing soimmediately, directly, and without protocols.

Additionally, because every entity's interaction is conducted through aprogram counterpart, the program is positioned to intercept and handlepart or all of the action. In this way any entity is partially or whollyautomated.

7. Program Structure

Because speak-listen is a repetitive action, occurring millions uponmillions of times, the supporting logic of the adaptation must be simpleand spare. FIG. 3-9 shows adaptation logic modules in dark lines whilethe VENT modules are shown in light lines. Modules above the dotted lineare specified and implemented as decision tables (DTBLs), while thosebelow are designed and encoded conventionally.

When a VENT wishes to act or interact, it speaks as shown above andexecution is assumed or taken by the TAKE module. TAKE validates thePAKT, and if this is the first speak of a conversation, it looks thelistener up in the VENT table, finding its virtual space coordinates.The GIVE module receives execution, and in turn, passes that executionto the correct “listener” VENT, thus supporting a VENT's wish to speakwhich is equivalent to supporting all VENT actions necessary to mimicits physical counterpart.

As described above, the passing of execution or action is apparentlysimple, but the passing of data is more complicated. While one entitymay choose to speak, the other may not choose to listen. Just as in thephysical world one may hear a noise from another but allot no mental(brain) space for what that other is saying. The same is true for ourvirtualized selves. The listener must have virtual space allocated forthe specific speaker's PAKT whether it is one word or, at the speaker'schoice, the entire encyclopedia. Below describes how a virtualizedperson keeps different topics, and the individual conversations withinthose topics, separate and distinct. Orthogonal VN ensures thiscondition exists before passing action to the listener.

Space allocation, or memory management, has been the most difficult andcrucial problem for operating system software. The greater the number ofactive tasks, the greater the number of needed program modules, and themore difficult the memory management/storage allocation problem is.

Historically, for an operating system of any generality, one mightobserve that this problem was not solved, but compromised. Program sizewas controlled. A unit of work was accomplished by running severalsmaller programs one after another. Alternatively, a limit was placedupon the number of simultaneous tasks, since each task required its ownresident data structure as well as the task program.

Without controls on program size and limits on the number ofsimultaneous tasks, designers believed the stored program machine wouldbe burdened. Excessive memory swapping, a condition called thrashing,was the problem to be avoided. So program size and the management ofmemory, by an operating system, was balanced against the allowed numberof tasks and the management of those tasks. Larger programs meant fewersimultaneous tasks and vice versa. Memory management was viewed asinterdependent with task management, snarling the logic of one with thelogic of the other. Generally, the computer culture assumed suchinterdependence. Hence the need to compromise was an obvious,self-evident truth.

A VENT program cannot be infinite in size, nor can an infinite number oftasks (with their associated data structures) be accommodated becausethere is not an infinite amount of disk (real) storage in the world.But, VN is designed without arbitrary, up-front limits. To the contrary,every aspect is designed to be independent. Consequently, tasks andprogram size are strictly orthogonal. For example, a single virtualizednode may contain many VENTs, and will likely have many tasks running atevery point in time because each speak creates a separate task for thatnode. The number of potentially simultaneous tasks is high. However, anode will reach its operating limit much sooner since some percentage ofinteractions involve VENTs on other nodes. A reasonable limit is somemultiple of the useable channels or pathways to/from the node. A programentity's space will be approximately 64 terabytes.

VN creates its own virtual space with its own coordinate system. Forexample, a VENT in the VENT TABLE contains a “pointer” to its region invirtual space. The “pointer” is given in virtual space coordinates. VNmaps this virtual space back, via logic modules called PRIMatives (seeFIG. 3-9), to the stored program machine memory as presented through thehardware memory-mapping architecture.

If too much virtual space is utilized or written, the stored programmachine manager's VENT will be notified that disk limits areapproaching. This is a problem of virtual space size only. On the otherhand, if too many simultaneous “speaks” occur, or too much spaceswapping is required, the speed of the machine could slow.

These two situations were contemplated, and viewed as independent fromone another. But neither was “solved” or compromised during the designof the adaptation. They are properly and easily solved later, when andif they occur. If space limits are approached, disk capacity is added.If throughput or response time degrades, the hardware platform isreplaced with a faster, larger one, or the work is split among severaldifferent virtualized nodes. VN makes configuration changes such asthese very easily.

If an Intel 386 machine is used as a platform, then there will be only64 terabytes of programmer memory with hardware assists to map it backto 4 gigabytes real. VN provides just enough virtual space for devices,but for person entities it will provide approximately 64 terabytes.Thus, premeditated behavior of a person may grow greatly over time,independent of any other change in the physical or virtual worlds.

Large space makes additional premeditation very simple. And it is easyfor the programmer to encode. He/she encodes only in-programinstructions, but no program or I/O calls. He/she encodes only “speaks”and passively assents to “listens.”

Returning to FIG. 3-9, note that the VNUC module is not a VENT. But, itis written as a VENT and has the identical speak-listen powers of aVENT. VNUC handles virtual memory management, at the logical level,ensuring the appropriate regions of virtual space are present in machinememory at appropriate times.

Memory management must transit hardware addressing logic, memoryboundaries, and then secondary storage, before all is prepared for PAKTmovement and the passing of execution to the listener VENT. Thisrequires the issuance of machine-privileged instructions accomplished bythe four short PRIMitive routines shown in FIG. 3-9. They exploit themachine to the fullest and make it conform/submit to the needs of the VNenvironment. In moving VN to a new type of hardware platform, only theseshort routines need to be re-written.

The DRVR module of FIG. 3-9 is the decision table driver, the run-timepiece of code that passes execution. Execution is first passed to theseries of tests in a decision table (see FIG. 3-10). DRVR saves theyes/no test outcome from each and then determines the appropriate “rule”from all the outcomes. After that DRVR directs execution to each actionin sequence as indicated by the rule.

All VN shown above the dotted line of FIG. 3-9 is specified via decisiontables and will be encoded as such. When execution is passed to the TAKEmodule, for instance, actual execution is passed to the DRVR with apointer to the TAKE DTBL. The DRVR ensures all correct tests and actionsare accomplished.

The resultant independent pieces of logic mean that one may be changedwithout, unwittingly, changing any other. Improvements or fixes areeasy.

The data structures used by the adaptation are simple tables. Fourtables are maintained at the logical level, two of them have alreadybeen discussed. A simple virtual to (programmer's) memory table, incombination with the usual hardware memory mapping tables, are alsoused.

D. A Perception of the World

This section describes a practical way to perceive the world in order tounderstand how VN fits into and complements it.

1. The Human Entity Perception

VN communicates directly to a virtualized person. No telephone numbersand mailbox addresses are needed since VN remembers only the person'sname. In some cases, the virtualized person responds without evendisturbing its real world counterpart, the conscious human. Toaccomplish this, the person should be present within the virtual world.

Today's telephone and computer/internet systems don't have personswithin them. They connect only devices. Thus, it is necessary to “call”the person from his real world location, and the communication goes totelephone numbers or to an internet mailbox.

Understanding how to place a person within the virtual world requires anunderstanding of the makeup and operation of the human entity.

Prior attempts to program human clones or robots have proved painstakingand costly. Millions upon millions have been spent on artificialintelligence, thinking systems and the like with little positive result.The reasons are obvious. The human is complex, is devious; he harborslove, hate, remorse, sympathy, revenge, humor, etc. There are ulteriormotives in his actions. Often what he says has nothing to do with whathe means.

VN deals with a part of a person, but not with emotions. VN programs orvirtualizes any activity or behavior of the human personality that canbe off-loaded from the conscious, i.e., subconscious or routine activityor behavior, being handled by a virtualized self, a program entity.

For example, imagine a four-year old trying to tie his shoelaces. Hislittle hands and fingers do not function perfectly as he tries to followthe teacher's emotions and explanation. He does this several timesfollowing the teacher while producing various versions of a knot.

Now imagine it is thirty years later. The former child has finished hisworkout and has taken a shower. As he talks baseball to a friend, heunconsciously reaches for a shoe, puts it on and laces it up. The secondshoe is similarly automatic, until a lace breaks, requiring hisconscious attention. He drops out of the baseball conversationmomentarily as he looks down to see how the problem can be rectified andthen immediately returns to baseball and automatic knotting.

Notice the tying activity went from conscious as a child, to unconsciousor sub-conscious as an adult. Then, when a problem or when somethingother than that which was planned for occurred, tying again became aconscious activity. Within the normal human it seems that learnedprocedures are treated as sub-routines, off-loaded from the consciousself.

As discussed above, a stored program machine handles any problem, anysituation that is understood and programmed into it ahead of time.Premeditation is that beforehand exercise by which humans consider asituation and decide, or learn, how it should be handled. Premeditationestablishes or programs later subconscious behavior.

For example, suppose a payroll manager wants to validate thecompleteness of employees' time reports, collecting missing informationfrom the employees, and then calculate the gross pays. The payrollmanager has thought about the job ahead of time, specifies the desiredprocedure, and passes the work to a subordinate. The work is off-loadedfrom the manager's conscious self.

If the subordinate finds the activity routine, being human himself, hewill quickly relegate it to his subconscious, freeing his conscious timeto dream of an upcoming golf vacation. If, on the other hand, asituation arises for which the manager provided no specifications, thenthe subordinate will bring the problem back to the manager who is theconscious self for this activity.

In both examples, premeditation of a situation allowed a person tooff-load conscious activity. However, situations not premeditated causedanalogous equivalent returns to conscious level activity. Delegation isone way to characterize this off-loading and return of responsibility.It is the thinking/conscious part of the human which makes thedelegation and accepts back the unspecified or out-of-bounds problemwhen it occurs.

Premeditation and placing some action or behavior in the subconsciousallows the subconscious to accomplish much without bothering theconscious self. Similarly a virtualized self is a very valuable part ofyou. Since your virtualized self acts for you, it is seen as you. Words,actions, and overall behavior define you and your personality. Actionstaken by your virtual counterpart are viewed as your actions. VN mayvirtualize any/all actions or behaviors that can be premeditated, andhandled subconsciously or those that may be delegated to a subordinate.

2. Entities in General—Perception

Human persons exist and operate at three levels of existence or in threeworlds: (1) a conscious world of thoughts (ideas); (2) a subconsciousworld of programs (bits); and (3) a physical world of material (atoms).The human, via his brain and nervous system, apparently passes actionthrough all three levels at will, for example: (1) wishing to go up thesteps (conscious); (2) engaging the eye/leg coordinator routines(sub-conscious); and (3) doing the eye scans like a transducer device,and the leg movements like a mechanical device, to go up one step(physical)

Within VN there are intra-actions, between the physical and virtualizedcounterparts of the same device or same person. Similarly, a humanpasses action via the network of nerves an intra-action between thesub-conscious and physical counterparts of that same human person.

FIG. 4-1 depicts four natural entities (the leftmost four) and thelevels of existence in which they reside: (1) a rock exists only at thephysical level, it is an entity but has no counterpart at differentlevels; (2) a tree lives at both the physical and subconscious levelsbecause it does “act”. For example, it grows toward greatest sunlight,and it reacts, reducing leaf surface in response to a dry spell. It hasphysical and subconscious aspects, the latter behaviors likely stored inits genetic codes, routines pre-meditated by evolution; (3) a wolf,likewise, lives in both physical and sub-conscious worlds (withmarvelous pathways between the two); and (4) Beth exists at all threelevels. In addition to genetic coding, and learning that might beconsidered simply repetitious or experimental, she is able todecide/choose to behave in a certain way. Her sub-conscious aspect seemsto execute sub-routines inherited, learned, or deliberately chosen andpremeditated. These routines drive the fingers, mouth, and eyes, themechanical devices and transducers of her physical body, so presentingher actions and behaviors. Her conscious space may contain ideas thatare entities, independent things that exist in her mind. In Beth'sconscious space are two original ideas, an idea for an addition to hersubconscious behavior, and an idea for the behavior of TheManager-Teller Operations.

FIG. 4-1 also depicts seven man-made or constructed entities (therightmost seven) in their correct places in the three levels ofexistence. These are inventions, the materialized, physical levelentities and the virtualized, sub-conscious level entities that earlierexisted only as ideas in the mind of their inventors, i.e., at theconscious level. Two of them are Beth's original ideas, her inventions.

Beth's virtualized self exists at the same level as her naturalsubconscious and may contain some of her premeditated reactions andbehaviors. These behaviors are in addition to those of her naturalsubconscious. Her virtualized self lies within the virtual spaceprovided by a stored program machine, which space conforms exactly tothe space of the sub-conscious (unconscious) level of existence. Beth'snatural subconscious speaks and listens to (controls) the physicaldevices of her person, i.e., the mechanical devices like fingers andlegs, and the transducers like eyes and vocal cords. Beth's virtualizedsubconscious speaks and listens to any/all other VENTS in the world. Hernatural subconscious returns the problem to her conscious self via thenervous network of her body when an unanticipated situation arises.Analogous actions are taken by her virtualized self, but here theproblem is returned to her physical self, perhaps her eyes using amonitor or screen, thence through her in-body network in order to reachher conscious self. The key notion is that virtualization extends ahuman's subconscious capabilities, and enables immediate and directinteraction with every other virtualized entity anywhere.

A mulch fork exists in physical space only. Action is passed to it,through its handle, by use of a person's arms or by asking someone elsewho happens to be near the fork to turn the mulch.

Ideas for a monitor, a keyboard, and an automated teller machine may bematerialized (constructed and placed) into physical space. Thecounterparts of these same entities may be virtualized into virtualspace. The effect of virtualization is to allow every entity to interactwith every other by virtue of the network.

A tax calculation, an algorithm, is a conceptual device because it hasno physical counterpart. A such it can be virtualized and so placed inthe sub-conscious level.

The Manager of Teller Operations, a responsibility, is a conceptualperson because it has no physical counterpart. It can be virtualized andso placed in the subconscious level. This fact is of greatest impactbecause purposeful communities™, or organizations, are made up ofconceptual persons.

Each VENT has a counterpart, a complementary part of itself existent inthe conscious or material levels. Although almost any entity may bevirtualized, the four most common types of virtualized entities are: (1)a human—the subconscious activities of that human may be extended oramplified; (2) an implement—the activity of that implement or tool maybe automated; (3) a responsibility—the activities defined within thatresponsibility may be made unconscious, automatic; and (4) analgorithm—the actions of that algorithm may be transferred from a humanto a stored program machine. See the entity summary of FIG. 4-2.

The idea of conceptual persons, the building blocks of organizations,will be further explained, and the idea of agency, of one entity actingfor and in the name of another entity, will be introduced below.

3. Conceptual Persons and Agents

The Manager of Teller Operations is a conceptual person, but differentfrom Beth. She was appointed only to act as, and in the name of theManager of Teller Operations. Her successor in that role would wish toassume his/her responsibility with all the pre-meditated actions,records, and histories of interactions intact. Besides, Manager ofTeller Operations is not all there is to Beth. Beth has other facets toher personality like daughter, sports fan, and even Secretary of thatfamous Investment Club.

So Beth and Manager of Teller Operations are separate entities. Beth(and in this case, her boss) may pre-meditate the behavior of theManager of Teller Operations describing the various situations and theactions to be taken for each. Possibly, over time, they willpre-meditate and have encoded 90% of the situations and actions, theworkload handled by that Manager. If so they will have automated 90% ofthe job.

If a situation is presented to the Manager that has not beenpremeditated and encoded, then the Manager of Teller Operations wouldforward the situation to its physical (and so conscious) self, itscounterpart. But The Manager of Teller Operations is a conceptualperson, a virtualized idea, it has no physical or conscious self. VNmimics the agent role of the natural world, that is, the role played byBeth. She was assigned or appointed to the responsibility, so theManager's VENT record carries Beth as agent. As a result, the Manager'svirtualized self simply forwards the uncontemplated situation to Beth(to her virtualized self). She is the entity assigned to act for, and inthe name of, the Manager of Teller Operations. As before, Beth actsconsciously. Depending upon the type of terminal she signed onto, shemay either say into the microphone, or type into the keyboard, theresponding action.

Any conceptual person handles “unfamiliar” situations by forwarding theproblem to its agent VENT. The forwarding is accomplished by the samespeak-listen interaction. VN uses the same recursive engine to enablethe interaction. VN senses the different communal role implicit in thisinteraction. In the normal speak-listen both data and action aretransferred from speaker to listener. Here the listened data and thespoken response belong to, and are in the name of, the Manager of TellerOperations. Only the action is moved to Beth.

Similar is the role of a lawyer or accountant. He/she is authorized toact as an agent, on behalf of the client, when the IRS questions. Theincoming IRS query and the outgoing response belong to the clientbecause the conversation is between the IRS (a conceptual person by theway) and the client. The client's accountant acts on his/her behalf.

Device entities neither need, nor can they perform as, agents. Bothphysical and conceptual devices are designed for a specific area of use,and the designer must contemplate every eventuality, every possiblesituation, within that use. If an uncontemplated situation occurs,outside the intended area of use, the device may break. Here the user isat fault for trying to use it outside its intended range or limits. Butif an uncontemplated situation occurs within the intended area of use,the device is regarded as defective and the designer is at fault.

Stated differently, a device's use area is precisely prescribed whileits design handles 100% of the possible situations. Thus, a device iscomplete in the sense that all possible situations have beencontemplated. It needs no agent for uncontemplated situations.

VN's person type entities are quite unlike devices. They too, handle100% of the situation, but their area of use may be poorly defined orundefined so a variety of situations may occur which could never becontemplated beforehand. For this reason, if a person type entity is nota living human, if it lacks a conscious, human counterpart, it must havean agent. Such is the case with John Doe, deceased. No longer is there aconscious, living counterpart. Hence, John Doe deceased must have anagent, an executor. The same is true for the conceptual person, theManager of Teller Operations. There is no counterpart for the manager soan agent must be assigned (or the position of Manager must be filled).

Because VN guarantees there is always recourse to a conscious human, anysituation can be handled by person type entities, either automaticallyin the premeditated program, or by recourse to the conscious levelperson.

Referring back to FIG. 4-2, here is a summary of entity types. A devicedeals with and responds to every situation within its areas of use. Itis a complete and closed entity. Its every aspect is engineered ahead oftime. A person deals with and responds to every situation that comes toit. If it is a conscious person, or has recourse to a conscious person,then it is a “becoming” a open entity. There is no need to engineerevery particular ahead of time. This type of entity can deal with anyeventuality if and when it occurs.

Herein lies a great strength of VN. It is the first metamorphosis of thestored program machine that offers one the true power of delegation.Delegation means giving another the responsibility in an imperfectlyprescribed area where all the possible situations and problems have notbeen thought out.

With current computers automation requires thinking out every detailahead of time and programming it into the machine. But with VN'spersons, automation requires only that you delegate loosely describedresponsibilities. That is why it is so easy, initially, to bring VN intoorganizations. All that needs to be done is virtualizing theresponsibilities. Then, as time goes on, it is easy and natural formanagers to automate the different parts of different responsibilitiesaccording to the then existing priorities.

VN does not incur systems complications. Premeditated instructions toresponsibilities are exactly the instructions a person would give to aperson handling the work for them.

Two final notes are worthy of mention here. First, since the virtualizedenvironment supports an authentic agent role, persons may choose toemploy one or many agents, like the accountant, even when agents are notnecessary. Second, although any conceptual or physical person may act asagent for any other conceptual or physical person, the entity at the endof the agent chain (no matter how long it is) must be a living, humanperson (existing at the conscious level).

4. Summary of VN's Perception of the World

The world is perceived, or a model of the world is constructed, as threelevels of existence, i.e., conscious, subconscious, andmaterial/physical levels.

The stuff of the conscious level is ideas. The active principle thatdrives this level is human life as characterized by choice and freewill. As far as we know only humans exist at the conscious level.Effects of human activity here are seen in the next lower level.

The stuff of the subconscious level is bits or information. Portions ofinformation are interpreted as routines or programs. The three activeprinciples that drive this level are: (1) a life principle that executesany routine provided by genetic coding; (2) a human life principle thatexecutes any routine provided or modified by the conscious level, afterthought, practice, learning; these are learned or premeditated routines;and (3) an artificial principle (electricity and binary logic) thatexecutes any routine provided as an encoded program for the storedprogram machine, these are premeditated routines. Living things andvirtualized things exist at the subconscious level.

The stuff of the material level is atoms. The active principle thatdrives this level is energy. Physical or material things exist at thematerial level.

The perception points to conceptual entity types, ideas that never havea counterpart at the physical level. A conceptual person equates to aresponsibility and a conceptual device equates to an algorithm. Whereasother ideas, when materialized, produce counterparts at the physicallevel, i.e., a physical device, conceptual entities when virtualized,produce counterparts at the subconscious level only.

The existence, of conceptual persons, forces a further insight. If theconceptual person is automated, what happens when an unforeseensituation arises? It may not break, as a device does, so it must passaction to another person entity, an agent, who is empowered to act for,and in the name of that conceptual person. The subtle agent role ismimicked and supported by VN. So any person type entity may haveagent(s) and may be agent for any other person type entity(s).

E. Orthogonality and Purposeful Communities

This section considers how people use the principles of engineeringscience to arrange devices forming machines, and how they use theprinciples of management science to arrange people formingorganizations. VN supports and enlivens both kinds of arrangements.

The most important principle concerning such arrangements, from theviewpoint of either management or engineering science, is the principleof orthogonality. Unlike the computer systems of the last 50 years, theentities of VN conform to this principle. VN fits with the rationalarrangement and employment of men and machines.

Entities on the left of FIG. 5-1 are natural entities while those on theright are man-constructed entities. Constructed entities originallyemerged as ideas, as entities at the conscious level, in the minds ofmen.

Man materialized ideas (into things made of atoms) at the physicallevel, and since the ENIAC, virtualized ideas (into things made of bits)at the subconscious level. Both of these constructs originated with theideas of men. FIG. 5-1 shows them as physical level and subconsciouslevel constructs.

VN allows any natural or constructed entity to be virtualized, placedinto an artificial existence at the subconscious level. Therefore, anatural entity like a physical person, or a constructed entity like aconceptual person, may be virtualized.

Virtualization consists of defining an entity's counterpart, a program,into the VN environment. The VN environment equates and extends the realworld's subconscious level. The consequences of virtualization are: (1)the virtualized entity may interact directly and immediately with anyother virtualized entity; (2) the active principle of electricity andbinary logic drives, or enlivens, the preprogrammed actions andbehaviors of the now virtualized entities; and (3) the behavior of anyentity may be premeditated and virtualized without regard to any otherentity; this is the orthogonality property of virtualized entities.

VN also automates the actions of communities of entities. Persons anddevices, virtualized, and in community with other virtualized entities,act and interact, driven by a VN that mimics the natural world. Entitiesare arranged into special types of communities in order to accomplishlarger purposes.

1. Purposeful and Orthogonal Arrangements

Consider the following words: (1) function—the action or operation of anentity; also, the action for which an entity is especially fitted; and(2) responsibility—the function for which a person is accountable,responsible or burdened.

Engineers design a device to perform a function. Analogously, managersdesign a responsibility to handle a function and assign a person to beaccountable for that responsibility.

Consider the following words: (1) machine—a purposeful arrangement ofinteracting, conceptual or physical devices to handle a complexfunction; (2) organization—a purposeful arrangement of interactingconceptual persons to handle a complex responsibility; and (3)purposeful community™—a purposeful arrangement of devices and persons tohandle a complexity of functions within a complexity ofresponsibilities.

The design of a device must be complete and exact at its design time orelse the device will fail. Devices do not deal with out-of-bounds oruncontemplated situations. The design of a conceptual person need not becomplete or exact at its design time. If and when a conceptual personencounters an out-of-bounds or uncontemplated situation, the conceptualperson simply refers it to another person, an agent, for resolution andappropriate action.

Within an organization a responsibility may be loosely designed anddelegated, but within a machine, a device must be exactly designed andinserted. The distinction is important. It makes the design anddelegation of responsibility a less exacting, but enormously effectiveway to unload one's problems and functions.

The hypothetical examples shown in FIG. 5-2 illustrate the analogousdesign principles used for constructed entities whether these beresponsibilities or devices of either type. Each constructed entity has:(1) a purpose or objective, (2) a limited or bounded area of operation,and (3) the capability, power, or authority necessary to accomplish itspurpose.

Engineering Science concerns itself with the design of machines tohandle complex functions, whereas Management Science concerns itselfwith the design of organizations to handle complex responsibilities. Buteach science utilizes similar design principles.

Because entities do not exist in isolation, one principle of good designholds for all constructed types. An entity's orthogonality must beprotected. Purposes, areas of operation or action, and authorities orpowers to act should be distinct, separate, non-overlapping. Only inthis way are entities independent from another; only in this way may thebehavior of one be altered without affecting the behavior of others.

When the principle of orthogonality is violated for devices, machinebreakdown occurs. When it is routinely violated in organizations abureaucracy, an organizational sickness takes hold.

The following provides a step-by-step explanation of how VN aligns withand supports the larger purposes of organizations and machines, i.e.,purposeful communities™.

2. VN's Congruency with Purposeful Communities

Step 1: When starting a purposeful activity like a business or a club aseparate entity is created. That entity will act like a person, callingboard of director or club meetings, hiring people, allowing people tojoin, choosing courses of action, etc.

So it is logical to virtualize a business or club as a conceptualperson, the responsibility identified as that particular business orthat particular club. This places a counterpart of the organization intothe virtual world. If desired, the conceptual person can beincorporated, becoming a legal person recognized under the law, and maythen sue or be sued. The organization could be named, perhaps, TheSpringfield Flower Club or the ABC Corp.

Step 2: The conceptual person who virtualizes the organization needs anagent. Any physical or conceptual person, previously virtualized, may beassigned as agent. Very likely the agent for this first/overallorganizational responsibility will be, the person we call, the CEO.

Step 3: many routine organizational and normal activities can bepremeditated, and automated, using the organization's virtualcounterpart, the conceptual person. Perhaps customers speak to theorganization to place orders, to find the shipping date for earlierordered items, or to see if an item's special discount is still ineffect. If such talk occurs via a telephone, the automated organizationmight react in similar fashion to the automated telephone answering oftoday. Press 1 to place an order, press 2, etc., or hold for a (live)human being (in this case probably the CEO), each piece of data beingentered following a voice prompt for it. If such talk occurs via akeyboard/monitor, then the interaction is somewhat different simplybecause the whole order format may be placed on screen to be filled inat once, without necessitating separate prompts.

Step 4: As the organization grows (or if it was mature when firstvirtualized) the overall responsibility may be broken down intosub-responsibilities, for example, as depicted in FIG. 5-3. It is nolonger effective for one person to oversee all activities. In thisexample our CEO chose to use his ABC Corp. authority to design foursub-responsibilities, hopefully following the principals oforthogonality. Sales, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Controller are thesub-responsibilities.

Step 5: VN is congruent with organization. At the outset VN allows ahierarchical relationship or a peer relationship. It enables separateconceptual persons like Sales, Engineering, etc. to be sponsored andvirtualized by a senior responsibility, in this case by the overallorganization, ABC Corp. Each sub-responsibility requires an agent beassigned. If no human is yet available for the Manufacturingresponsibility, then ABC Corp. may temporarily assign itself, or CEO, orany other conceptual or physical person as agent for Manufacturing.

Because ABC Corp. is hierarchically senior to Manufacturing it willalways retain power to assign different agents, to premeditate itsbehavior, and to remove Manufacturing altogether. Notice this is theexact power a senior manager would like to retain even if the junior istrusted and respected.

But a good senior probably hopes his delegatee, the agent ofManufacturing, will automate that responsibility, will handle thenon-routine activities himself and bring for resolution only thoseunclear situations which may affect or possibly be in the jurisdictionof other responsibilities. Finally, if and when he trusts hissubordinate, there is one other power the senior may wish to delegate.He may allow the junior to further breakdown his responsibility, intosub-responsibilities, exactly as the senior did. The junior can thus usehis full managerial powers to design his own sub-organization. And VNsupports this kind of hierarchical, delegator/delegatee relationship.FIG. 5-3 shows the further breakdown of Manufacturing into a Fabricategroup and an Assembly group.

Step 6: Premeditated behavior may be placed in a responsibility, soautomating a portion of the behavior or activity of that responsibility.The agent/assignee for the responsibility, or the senior that broke outthe responsibility, are the only ones empowered to premeditate orotherwise effect the automatic behavior of the conceptual person, effectthe automation of the responsibility.

Step 7: No matter how beautifully the organization is structured, andhow well responsibilities are spelled out, delegated, and automated,inevitable change will cause managers to want to rearrange theorganization and reshuffle the responsibilities. Premeditated orautomated behaviors of different responsibilities are easily adapted andshifted about.

In the first place, restructuring is especially easy if the automatedbehavior was accomplished using VN's decision table facilities. DTBL'sclearly separate the different situations and their subsequent actions.Without re-encoding, DTBL logic can be sliced, split, moved, andreconstituted elsewhere. The orthogonality property is evident in DTBLlogic. Tests, to determine the situation or case, the different casesthemselves, the actions to produce the premeditated behavior, as well asthe program routines corresponding to each test and each action are eachindependent, separate and distinct. So VN's DTBL table managementfacility makes it easy (though not trivial) to split, slice, move, andreconstitute the premeditated behavior of organizationalresponsibilities.

In the second place it is quite likely that organizational restructuringwill breakout and re-delegate responsibility according to alreadyexisting contexts, subjects or categories. For example, all Project 5activity placed under responsibility X, all customer contact andassociated information (except for plastic products) placed underresponsibility Y, and so forth. But this is breaking out an (arbitrary)view, originally established for the responsibility now beingreorganized. A view is a very specific, separate part of theresponsibility and is easily moved to a different responsibility. Again,organization charge is greatly eased, but not trivialized.

3. VN's Beautiful Conformance

VN conforms to, supports, and faithfully mimics, real world complexes ofhumans, implements, responsibilities, and algorithms. Because themimicking is so thorough, one cannot distinguish whether actionsoriginate from the premeditated virtual self or from the real self.

Compare VN to computer systems that almost never reflect, or conform to,any real world organizational structure. Typically, when we speak aboutreorganizing we mean only the people move to different boxes, thesystems stay as is, and the disconnect remains. VN conforms to andsupports machines the way it does organizations. Both are purposefulcommunities™ and any complex of entities is so supported.

Clarification of purpose, redefinition of area, adjustment of authority,these are the continuing actions of an alert, able management.Uncontemplated situations must be recognized and brought to resolution.Otherwise organizations stultify, and bureaucracies bloom.

Until now, computer systems were a clear and justifiable excuse formanagement. Computer systems stood in the way of management's mostfundamental and essential action, in particular, to clarify purpose, toredefine area, or to adjust authority with respect to anyresponsibility. Technical analysts designed computer systems for systemspurposes. These systems served to confuse and then ensnare the originalorganizational responsibilities as designed by operating managers.

Managers found their responsibilities had become entangled with anintegrated computer system and the system became their master. Eachmanager was systems constrained, exercised less control in his area ofresponsibility and was less accountable. Management became mushy, becameensnared by the system. It was the strong management vs. strong systemsproblem, an example of the very general and very intractable computersystems problem that plagues all computer efforts till this day.

Everywhere multiple application systems began to overlay the oncepristinely designed organizational responsibilities. Once committed tocomputer systems, management realized that their carefully designedresponsibilities must be twisted and bent to support, maintain, andcomply with, the fixed demands of systems. Since then management hasbeen unable to extricate itself, or its organizational design, fromsystems entanglements.

VN is different. It allows automation through the power of the storedprogram machine without entanglements, imposing no artificial systems,conventions, or protocols. VN treats each entity as distinct, separate,independent empowering each to act out its real world actions andbehaviors. Thus, VN enlivens the very entities designed by managers,i.e., conceptual persons or responsibilities, and it drives the veryentities designed by engineers, i.e., conceptual and physical devices.VN enables the interactions of all the member entities of a purposefulcommunity™, exactly mimicking the behavior and actions of theircounterparts, but doing so automatically.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice of theinvention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spiritof the invention being indicated by the following claims.

1. A system for providing real-to-virtual correspondence, comprising amemory configured to store a plurality of programs, each programcorresponding to an entity contained in the real world; and a processorconfigured to execute instructions of each program for: mimickingactions of corresponding real world entities; and passing data andaction from one program to another program. 2-17. (canceled)